BED BUGS IN
APARTMENTS - HOW TO REMOVE

BED BUGS

Bed Bugs are the little creatures that may come out at night and invade your bed
or furniture - like couches or mattresses. They seem to prefer human and other
warm blooded creatures. Bed bug infestations were common in the United States
before World War II. But with improvements in hygiene, and widespread use of DDT
until it was banned, the bugs nearly vanished. However, they remained active
outside the US. So how does it get to the US?

1. We travel out of the country and the bed bugs
latch on to you, your clothing and things you pack in your luggage for the trip
back to the US.

2. We have visitors and new residents coming to the
US each day from foreign countries.

3. When we travel we stay in hotels or other accommodations
that may have a bed bug problem(s).

In Multi-family housing units, it is believed the bed bug can travel through duct work, cracks between units (they don't have
to be big)- tenant's furniture being moved in and out - allows simple transfer
around the building.

It's possible for one of you to be bitten and another resident in your home not.

Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, with a flat oval shape, and wingless, with
microscopic hairs. They don't move fast, so you should be able to spot them.

Bed Bugs CANNOT FLY.

Bedbugs can live for a year or longer without feeding but they normally try to
feed every five to ten days. Bedbugs that go dormant for lack of food often live
longer than a year, while well-fed specimens typically live six to nine months.

Bedbugs will appear at night, when they need to eat (your blood) and sense the
hear given off by your body.

CLEAN. Keep clean. Vacuum often and empty out the canister or bag. Wipe down
walls and wash your linens. bed sheets, shams etc. Try not to have much clutter.

HOWEVER, REGARDLESS of how clean you are, you may
still wind up with a bed bug problem

TENANTS, LANDLORDS, AND BED BUGS - THE LAW

In 2004, a Bedford New York Judge made the following remark in a Bed Bug Lawsuit

"Although bedbug are classified as vermin, they are unlike the more common
situation of vermin such as mice and roaches, which, although offensive, do not
have the effect on one's life as bedbugs do, feeding upon one's blood in hoards
[sic] nightly turning what is supposed to be bed rest or sleep into a
hellish experience," Judge Bedford wrote.

In New
York City and many other states, towns and
cities, landlords are now responsible for getting rid of bed bugs in
infested buildings and units and they must pay for extermination. WHAT'S A
LANDLORD TO DO? DO YOU INSPECT EVERY PIECE OF ITEM A TENANT MOVES IN WITH OR
CHECK THEM EVERY DAY BEFORE THEY ENTER THE BUILDING, HOUSE OR APARTMENT??

In New Jersey, see ASSEMBLY, No.
3203. Lots of requirements for both landlords to notify tenants and tenants to
notify the landlord. Since I'm a NJ landlord, I'm still trying to figure it out.
The state holds landlords responsible for extermination in “multi-unit”
buildings of three or more apartments – if the bugs are found in two or more
units or in common areas.....

BED BUGS and LAWYERS

My friend, a landlord, is convinced that a layer
was the first to bring bed bugs back to the US and deploy them. WHY? It was and
is another line of business. Landlords might think they can use (blame) a a
particular tenant for infesting their building, apartment or home with the bug
while a tenant may blame a landlord for allowing (by not regularly exterminating
for) the bug or allowing tenants who the landlord "should of know"
have or might have the bug... or not informing the tenant that there was, could
be or was unsure if there is, was, was not, what if.... a bed bug problem. Find
a Lawyer

What came first the chicken or the egg? Is the
glass half full or half empty....what came first - the tenant or the bed bug?
Whose Bed Bug is it?

Exterminator

If you choose to, you
may call an exterminator who will most likely come back every month to spray.
Your landlord MAY NOT BE RESPONSIBLE for the problem, unless local or state law
state otherwise.